21st Shenzhen Cultural Industries Fair Closes, Featuring First AI Zone

Overview

The 21st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, regarded as one of China's largest exhibitions for the cultural industries, was held from May 22 to May 26, 2025, with its main venue at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center, and closed on May 26. A total of 52 sub-venues were set up across the city's districts, and the exhibition area reached 160,000 square meters.

Exhibitors totaled 6,280 government delegations, cultural institutions and companies, 265 more than the previous edition. More than 120,000 cultural products were displayed, and more than 4,000 cultural investment and financing projects were presented and traded on site. According to the overseas edition of People's Daily, participation across the main venue, sub-venues and related events exceeded 2.2 million person-times.

Background

The fair is a national-level cultural industries exhibition held in Shenzhen every year and has been called "China's No. 1 cultural industries fair." The organizers aim to turn it into a leading international exhibition for the cultural industries. Shenzhen, known as a hub for electronics and internet industries, is also working to grow industries that combine digital technology with cultural content.

At this edition, AI-related displays were a major highlight, and the overall layout emphasized the integration of culture and technology.

Key Points

Item	Details
Dates	May 22–26, 2025 (five days)
Exhibitors	6,280 (up 265 from the previous edition)
Overseas exhibitors	305 from 65 countries and regions (132 on site, 173 online)
Products displayed	More than 120,000
Investment and financing projects	More than 4,000
Sub-venues	52

• Eight halls: Three comprehensive halls (the comprehensive cultural industries exhibition and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area cultural industries innovation exhibition) and five specialized halls covering international cultural trade; cultural consumption and culture-tourism; art design, fashion and culture-technology-finance; film, copyright, games and e-sports; and intangible cultural heritage and crafts.
• First AI zone: More than 60 AI companies exhibited, with demonstrations such as AI piano playing, human-versus-machine chess, robot calligraphy and algorithm-based embroidery.
• Internationalization: Overseas exhibitors accounted for about 20%, and according to Xinhua more than 35,000 professional visitors from 110 countries and regions were expected to take part.
• Overseas participation: According to People's Daily Overseas Edition, more than 50 of the 65 countries and regions were Belt and Road partner countries, with exhibitors from countries including Poland, Austria, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand and Egypt.
• Regional highlights: Displays combining traditional culture with advanced technology stood out, such as a model of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda from Shanxi, robots performing the Yingge folk dance from Shantou, a robot playing the guzheng at the Guangdong pavilion, and a virtual reality tour of Dunhuang from Gansu.
• "Wenchuang China" zone: Its exhibition area grew from about 1,300 to 3,000 square meters, attracting more than 100 institutions, companies and well-known IPs.

Implications for Japan–Shenzhen Exchange

Content industries such as anime, games and characters are areas of strength for Japan, while cultural consumption and intellectual property businesses are growing in the Chinese market, including Shenzhen. The fair's dedicated hall for film, copyright, games and e-sports, together with its emphasis on combining AI and culture, appears to point to wider room for Japanese and Chinese companies to connect through content licensing, co-production and the use of digital technology. The application of Shenzhen companies' AI and robotics technologies in the cultural field is also drawing attention.With exhibitors also coming from neighboring Asian countries and regions, the fair's role as a platform for regional cultural industry exchange appears to be gaining recognition.

Outlook

Published materials do not give figures such as the value of deals concluded during the fair. It remains to be seen how far the projects presented will lead to actual business and investment. Details of the next edition's dates have not yet been announced.

From the Association

The Association will continue to follow and gather information on Shenzhen's cultural and content industries. We will strive to provide opportunities for exchange that deepen mutual understanding between Japan and Shenzhen, in culture as well as in business.